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¨:~^¤£#@## several centuries after it had last ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# belonged to us, we went on an outing to #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## the glass factory that bore our family ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# name. it had changed owners many times #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## since our ancestors death, and then ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# stood abandoned for a long while. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## finally, the natural end station for ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# the buildings that survive: a museum, #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## and a gift shop. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## there's a long time since my family ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# made anything. by many, we would be #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## considered poor. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## there are two main factory buildings, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# domed things of several floors, made in #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# reminescent of some cathedral. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## custom-made glass, of course, large and ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## practical. on the eastern building, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# some are shattered. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# the other one is publicly open. there's #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## a museum, with wax figures of my great ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# great great grandfather, or something. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## various tools (or replicas) laid out on ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# tables, with explaining texts. a lot of #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## glass of varying thickness. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## $$ ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# $$ $$ #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# $$ $$ #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## $$ ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## i quickly sneak out, and climb into the ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# other building. the contrast is #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## overwhelming. it must have stood ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# derelict for a long time, windows #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## broken, metallic trash and pools of ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# dark glass all over the floor. no #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## electric lights, but i can see by the ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# light that shines in wherever the dark #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## windows are missing a pane. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## however, the greatest difference is the ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# higher floors: this building has none. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## it is one massive hall, stretching away ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# infinitely above me. somewhere up there #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## is some great iron latticework, from ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# where chains are suspended, and parts #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## of machinery has been falling down. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## there is, in the middle of the great ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# hall, a thin spiral staircase that #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## leads up there. i sneak over there, and ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# take a few reluctant steps. after just #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## a revolution, i notice that for each ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# step the building starts to glow, the #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## bricks turning a dark red, and then ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# orange, all the piled up debree being #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## lit from behind. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## i stop ready to run down and out, but ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# there's someone else on the staircase #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## with me now, pressed close. he's ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# looking like me, short hair and thin #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## arms, but with ears from some animal, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# and more disturbingly, completely made #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## of dark liquid glass. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## $$ ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# $$ $$ #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# $$ $$ #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## $$ ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## my fear holds me in place while he ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# starts operating levers and dials set #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## in the center of the staircase. slowly, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# it starts spinning, circling upwards. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## it's an elevator! i start to run ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# downwards, but now the liquid boy #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## creature grabs hold of me. i try to ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# shake him off, but he's too strong, and #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## pulls me back up beside him. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## this time, i turn angry instead. what ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# the hell? who is this guy, acting like #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## this? i reach out my free arm and slam ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# a random lever. some metal bar is #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## suddenly released between us, hitting ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# him on the arm, forcing my release. i #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## shove him off of me, and he falls into ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# the levers, messing them up. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## immediately, a thin rusty chainmail ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# curtain is dropped around me. but the #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## elevator also speeds up significantly. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## the walls are flaring now, yellow, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# white, almost blue. i close my eyes and #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## curl into a ball. but then, the glass ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# boy screams, a piercing sound that #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## forces my eyes back open. i watch as he ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# becomes too liquid, his body pooling #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## down in his now massive tail, and the ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## drop that falls toward the factory ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# floor. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# he's crawling on the stairs, unable to #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## keep his body upright. can't reach the ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# levers, claws at my chainmail cage, #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## while his body is turning into dark ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# pearls. finally, he's lost too much of #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## himself and the scream is cut short. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# the last of him rains down. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# i still can't reach the levers from #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## within my cage. looking up, i try to ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# make out the ceiling, but it's all a #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## whirling sea of colours. below me glows ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# the hellfire of the factory walls, but #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## very faint. i sit down, curl back up, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# become still. #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# $$ #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## $$ $$ ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## $$ $$ ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# $$ #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# a large clunk shakes my entire body, #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## and snaps me back into reality. i'm ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# back at the factory floor, but the #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## stairs are still moving slightly, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# clicking in place, carrying me the last #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## few centimeters. i came from below, ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# somehow. the chainmail is retracted, #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## and i slowly dismount the stairs. ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## shaking and crying, i make my way over ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# the factory floor, wading through dark #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# i see there's something faint inside #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## them. embryos? are these eggs? ##@#£¤^~:¨
¨¨:~^¤£#@# #@#£¤^~:¨¨
¨:~^¤£#@## i shudder, and climb back out. ##@#£¤^~:¨
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